MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 18, 2022
The state quickly allowed our electric utilities to pass fuel costs to consumers, in dramatic and likely permanent rate increases. Politicians like to blame Maine’s 30-cent gas tax, calling for dropping it in times of crisis. Others blame costs on big market forces and an inexplicable loss of refining capacity. During elections they release our national strategic oil reserves, to help themselves more than consumers. But greed and lack of patriotism in times of crisis own a large share of the blame, and are on display at the gas pumps, the oil dealers and the State House. ~ David H. Brown, Raymond